


The Play is the Thing

by nobinaries



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 22:08:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nobinaries/pseuds/nobinaries
Summary: An evening at the theater.





	The Play is the Thing

**Author's Note:**

> written in 2008 not what one would call a cross over but it was a way to combine two of my favorite fandoms.

Emily poked her dark head around the door frame into JJ’s office.  She paused for a moment before speaking taking in the blond head bent over an open folder on her desk.  It was a critical moment for Emily as she took a deep breath calming her nerves.  She’d been waiting a long time to do this, her only hope was to make it through without letting too much of her inner geek shine through.  She could usually fight it off for hours, even sometimes a couple of dates, but with JJ it was different.  When they were just being friends and there were other friends around they could banter and even, though neither admitted it, flirt a little.  Emily had no confidence that her nerves would stay in check if it was just the two of them with no other people around as unwitting chaperones.

This was miles different from girls’ night out with JJ and Garcia.  If things went well this could be…might turn out to be…an actual date.  With an almost imperceptible squaring of her shoulders Emily knocked lightly on the doorframe causing JJ to look up from her papers.  Those deep blue eyes never failed to cause a flutter of warmth in Emily’s chest and she made no effort to control the response.  Nor did she do anything to stop the smile that painted its way across her red lips. 

When JJ saw the soft smile and dark eyes that met hers and she could feel her own lips stretch into a welcoming grin.  For reasons she had long since stopped analyzing and just accepted there was nothing that made her happier on the end of a Friday than seeing Emily at her office door.  Whatever after-work activity Emily proposed JJ knew she would join her.  There was no question that given the option JJ would spend as much time as possible with the other woman.  Part of her wished one of them would be brave enough at some point to actually cross the unspoken barrier between them, but she was well aware that possibility seemed slim at best.

“Hey,” Emily felt herself melt a little inside at the sight of JJ’s smile, “you about done?”

“Yeah,” JJ said flipping the open file in front of her shut, “actually I’m just finished.  You wanna go grab a drink?” 

“I’d love to,” Emily answered quickly and continued before she lost her nerve.  “I was actually wondering if you have plans for tomorrow?”  Once the words were out of her mouth Emily felt the strangest mixture of relief and fear.  She had spent so much time preparing herself for the asking she hadn’t prepared herself for waiting for the answer.  The seconds seem to stretch to excruciating length as JJ’s blue gaze examined Emily.

JJ had expected the usual invite for drinks with whatever team members felt like blowing off some steam but something about this invitation was different.  There was something in Emily’s eyes that was sending an altogether different message.  JJ was forced to reexamine her earlier thought that the chances of one of them being brave enough to move beyond drinks with the office may have been a bit more pessimistic than was warranted.

As she continued to watch she could see signs of nervousness in Emily.  The shy foot shuffle, the way her eyes looked around the room avoiding lingering too long on any one thing and particularly not on JJ, it was sweet, adorable really.  JJ considered prolonging the silence just to watch for signs of the sweet, shy Emily that Emily Prentiss, FBI kept so well hidden.  As enjoyable as it was for her though, JJ was aware it was probably not nearly so fun for Emily and opted to answer after only a few interminable minutes.

“I had a big date with my laundry basket,” JJ grinned, “but I think I just got a better offer.”

“But you don’t even know what the offer is yet,” Emily knew she sounded nervous but there was a big part of her that was still expecting rejection.

JJ stood up from her desk and flipped her jacked over her shoulder.  She took a few steps toward the door stopping before she had completely invaded Emily’s personal space.  She gave Emily one more appraising look before she spoke again.  She didn’t want to cross the line too far in case she was misreading all the signals that had been bouncing between them for the better part of the last two years.  There was still a certain amount of fear that kept her in the grey area of friendly and flirting without putting herself too far out there.

“I’m pretty sure whatever your offer is it beats the hell out of laundry,” JJ’s tone was tinged with laughter.

“I don’t know,” Emily countered, “some people would rather do just about anything than what I’m proposing.”

“Okay,” JJ quirked a brow, “now I’m intrigued.  What sort of trial are you asking me to join you on?”

“Musical theatre,” Emily blurted, “but not just any musical theatre.  The Broadway touring company of Wicked is in DC at the Kennedy Center.”  Emily forced herself to stop talking before she launched into a treatise on book versus musical and character comparisons of Elphaba and Glinda and how excited she was to see the show again.  She hadn’t seen it since 2004 and the original Broadway cast and she was dying to go again.   She’d purchased the tickets the moment they had gone on sale but had not had the nerve to ask JJ to go with her until today when she’d had no choice but to speak now or go alone.  Somehow the idea of sitting with an empty seat beside her while she listened to ‘For Good’ just seemed like the most tragic of events.  So here she was waiting to see if, in fact, JJ would say yes or if she, like some, was pathologically allergic to musicals.

JJ almost laughed, not at the idea of attending a musical with Emily but at how excited and animated the normally even-keeled Emily had become with those few words.  The light in her eyes was unmistakable and undeniably cute.  JJ quickly realized that she had absolutely no power to say no to that almost childlike glint in those dark eyes.  Even though she wasn’t a huge fan of musicals the idea of saying no never crossed JJ’s mind.  She knew the night would be fun based solely on the joy that radiated from her companion at the mere mention of the show.

“I would love to go with you,” JJ responded her smile widening at the look of mixed excitement and disbelief that found its way onto Emily’s face.

“Really?”  Emily knew she sounded like a kid who couldn’t quite believe they’d just gotten everything they asked for Christmas but she also couldn’t quite bring herself to care.

“Yes, really,” JJ laughed.

“Excellent,” Emily beamed, “I’ll pick you up at 6 and we can grab a bite first.”

“It’s a date,” JJ said the words hoping they were true, hoping Emily picked up on them but at the same time feeling the tiniest hint of doubt, or possibly fear, that she hadn’t.

It was all Emily could do to keep from bouncing up and down and clapping her hands.  This had worked out better than she could have hoped.  Not only was she going to see Wicked, a long time obsession of hers, but she was going with JJ.  As the two of them left JJ’s office and walked through the bullpen to pick up Reid, Morgan, and Garcia for the usual Friday night drinks Emily felt as though her feet weren’t even touching the floor.  She was quite certain she had an extremely goofy grin on her face but she really couldn’t be so concerned about that at the moment.

_____________

Most of Saturday had moved on at an excruciatingly slow pace.  Right up until it had been time to get ready and then suddenly it seemed as though there were not nearly enough minutes in an hour for her to decide on an outfit.  Most of the contents of Emily’s closet had been strewn about her normally orderly bedroom each one being not quite right.  With only a few moments left before she had to leave to pick up JJ she finally decided to go with the first thing she’d tried on which required digging through a rather large pile of clothing on her bed.  She slipped on smoothly form fitting chocolate brown wool slacks and a buttery soft silk shirt that clung in precisely the right places.  With one last hand through her hair that hung loosely over her shoulders she grabbed her wallet and keys from the night stand and her jacket from the hook by the door and headed out to pick up JJ.

JJ hadn’t been having an easy time of it herself.  She couldn’t remember being this nervous for a date since she was sixteen and even then it didn’t seem to compare.  She too had changed her clothes at least a dozen times finally settling on a knee length dress with a flirty flared hem.  It was a delicate blue that brought out her eyes and contrasted nicely with the sun warmed tone of her skin.  She had worried that the neckline dipped a bit too far down but had decided in the end that it revealed just as much as she wanted without showing too much.   The problem was now all she had to do was pace around her apartment waiting for the knock at the door.

When that knock finally came JJ nearly jumped out of her skin.  It was odd how the thing she had been waiting for could still startle her enough to make an almost embarrassingly girly noise come from her lips. With a concerted effort to regain her composure JJ went to the door and opened it.  The simple, uncomplicated greeting that had been waiting to slip out faded along with most of JJ’s verbal skills as she saw the woman standing in her doorway.  Emily was stunning.  Her style was similar to what she wore at work but there was something freer, more open, about this Emily and JJ felt herself being drawn even more to the other woman.

“Wow,” Emily spoke first, “you look amazing.” In fact Emily thought JJ was quite possibly the most beautiful woman she had ever seen.

“Thanks,” Emily’s words allowed JJ’s mind to begin to function enough for speech, “so do you.”  There was the smallest hint of shyness in JJ’s tone as the reality of the evening started to sneak in around her reminding her that this really was their first date.

“So,” Emily began feeling a little shyness of her own, “you ready to go?”

“Absolutely,” JJ answered, “just let me grab my jacket.”  She turned from the door way to the hooks nearby and grabbed her fall coat from its spot and slipping it on as she joined Emily at the top of the stairs leading down from her apartment.  As they walked out JJ resisted the urge to take Emily’s hand, she wasn’t sure exactly how this was supposed to work and she felt an awful lot like a teenager on her first date and she was desperate not to screw it up.  When they reached Emily’s car JJ almost blushed at the gallantry displayed by her companion when the dark haired agent stopped at the passenger side door and opened it for her bowing slightly and gesturing to the waiting seat.

As she sat in the car JJ looked up and was once again rendered speechless by sparkling brown eyes that spoke of excitement and happiness and so many deeper mysteries that the blond longed to discover.  There was something so magnetic about Emily, her strength, her intelligence, even the sadness that sometimes broke free of its bonds and showed itself in those dark eyes.  JJ wanted to learn everything she could about those many layers.  For now though she just soaked up the light from those eyes and that smile as Emily closed the door, walked around the car, and let herself in the driver’s side. 

“I thought we could eat at a little place I know near the Center,” Emily said by way of starting conversation.  She wasn’t really ready to sit in her car in silence with JJ looking so gorgeous and her own nerves threatening to get the better of her.  “The food is amazing and they will always have you out in time for your show.”  Emily’s voice was once again infused with excitement.

“Sounds fabulous,” JJ said for lack of anything else.  The butterflies that had let themselves loose in her stomach were making her wonder if she was going to be able to eat anything anyway.  JJ kept stealing surreptitious glances at Emily’s profile as they drove, for someone usually so good with words the blond felt at a loss, stuck in an unfamiliar state of nervousness.

“So,” Emily covered well for the fact that she seemed to be searching for something to say to cover her own jitters.  “Thank you for coming out with me tonight.  This really isn’t a show that should be watched alone.”  For Emily it was true, she never made it to the end of the play without shedding at least a couple of tears and it wasn’t good for her to cry all by herself.

“Oh,” JJ said with a small laugh, “I’m sure you would have had any number of takers for your extra seat.”  JJ knew she was fishing for something with that statement but she didn’t really want to look too deeply into her motivations.  Instead she refused to listen to any of the voices in her own head and cast a glance at Emily.

“Yeah,” Emily spoke without thinking, “but there’s a huge difference between having a seat filler and going with someone.”  She really hadn’t intended to be that honest but there was little she could do about it now.

“I wasn’t just a last resort, then?”  Now there was no question JJ was fishing, she knew full well what she wanted Emily to say and it seemed her mind had decided to get what it wanted. 

Emily’s hands tightened almost imperceptibly around the steering wheel as JJ spoke.  It was one thing to know that she wanted this to be a real date, to know that she wanted more than anything to be here with JJ, and quite another thing to admit that to the woman sitting next to her in that dress, with those eyes.  The question hung in the air slowly swirling around in Emily’s brain.  Fear slowly crept around the dark haired woman’s heart, fear of rejection, fear that she truly had read all the signals wrong and JJ would laugh at the idea of them together, fear that JJ wouldn’t laugh and all the complications that came with that realization.

“JJ,” Emily spoke with quiet sincerity swallowing her fear, “you couldn’t possibly be a last resort for anyone.”  It didn’t exactly say everything but it was at least a step forward.  Emily couldn’t help but think that this was the biggest problem with dating women when you weren’t completely out.  Things could always be left open to interpretation and misunderstanding.  Dating was, for Emily, inevitably problematic but this just seemed exponentially more so. 

With that last statement JJ had given up on surreptitious glances and was appraising Emily more openly, taking in the other woman’s profile with interest trying to find any clues that may be hiding in the curve of her lip or the light in her eyes.  There was something undeniably complicated in their current situation and JJ would have given just about anything to unravel their years of coded communication and just put their cards on the table but that seemed like an extremely dangerous move. 

“I would hardly think,” JJ began speaking, “that you would need to worry about last resorts.  I can’t imagine someone turning you down.”  Her statement was no more obvious than Emily’s but she hoped it communicated the fact that she wanted to be here and not just as a coworker and friend.  There was a small part of her mind that cursed her for being too cowardly to just come out and say what was really on her mind.

Emily didn’t know how to respond to that statement, she could actually feel a slight blush coloring her pale cheeks and hoped it was hidden in the evening light in the car.  She felt a slight flutter in her chest at the compliment and some sense of surety in the idea that she and JJ were, in fact, on the same page.  It wasn’t entirely clear but it was enough to settle her nerves the tiniest fraction as she pulled the car into a parking place on the street in front of a small Italian restaurant that could almost be missed if one didn’t know it was there.  It had a neon open sign and red and white checkered curtains draped around the one large window.

“Well,” Emily stated for lack of anything else to say, “here we are.” 

Once inside they sat in a quiet corner booth enjoying the warm smells of garlic and marinara that permiated the air while they each sipped glasses of remarkably smooth and tangy house red wine.  The conversation wound around safe topics of daily life simultaneously steering clear of work and anything too personal or deep but it was comfortable and allowed both women to relax a bit into the reality of the date.  It made room for them to look into each other’s eyes and see the connection they had both been refusing to acknowledge for so long. 

JJ felt the warm glow of the wine and knew full well that wasn’t the only thing flushing her skin as she sat under the penetrating gaze of Emily’s rich dark eyes.  As she’d already noted more than once that evening there was something magnetic and enthralling about Emily Prentiss and JJ, for the first time, was allowing herself to be fully drawn in by that aura.  What they were discussing wasn’t important; the words themselves were more like a low vibrating hum that filled the space between them.  JJ leaned back in her seat returning Emily’s gaze over the rim of her now nearly empty wine glass.

The intensity of JJ’s gaze felt almost like a physical touch to Emily.  Those vibrant blue eyes sparkling with wine and something more intimate seemed as though they could see right through any of the usual affectations that Emily used to guard her heart.  She would have expected to feel uncomfortable under such an intense gaze and yet somehow it seemed familiar and warmed her more than the rich food and fine wine.  It was odd the feeling of comfort with something that had, up to now, made Emily decidedly uncomfortable.  If it had been anyone else across the table Emily would have been itching to get out of her seat and out of range but somehow JJ was different.  The dark haired woman wasn’t entirely certain why that reality wasn’t more frightening than anything.

Comfortable silence surrounded the two women as they finished their wine and pasta.  It seemed they had exhausted the small talk and saw no need to fill the air with words just for the sake of the noise.  Instead they shared glances and softly spoken offers of tastes of the other’s food.  The food was delicious, rich without being overwhelming and the service was prompt and efficient without being intrusive and definitely lived up to Emily’s promise that they would be out in time for the show.  Emily paid the check over JJ’s protestations which were dismissed with a silent wave of a hand and a smile.

“I asked you out,” Emily chided, “what sort of date would I be if I made you pay?”

“You would still be the best date I’ve had in ages,” JJ responded good naturedly.

“Oh now,” Emily replied with a touch of self deprecating laughter, “that’s just sad.”

“I don’t know,” JJ said as they made their way out of the restaurant taking the opportunity to slip her hand into Emily’s.  “I think dinner would be a small price to pay for an evening with you.”

The butterflies that had settled down over dinner erupted once again in Emily’s stomach at the touch of JJ’s warm strong hand in hers.  She hadn’t expected the contact and hadn’t prepared herself for it but after the barest moment of hesitation accepted it with a squeeze in return as they made their way quickly back to the car.  It was only a couple of moments of contact but Emily swore she could still feel JJ’s hand in hers as she made her way to the driver’s door and got in. 

JJ had no idea what had inspired her moment of boldness but she couldn’t say she regretted it.  It had been brief contact from the door of the restaurant to the car but it had been yet another step in the right direction toward breaking down the barriers the two of them had so carefully constructed between them since they met.  It was something simple that friends did but somehow more than that given the context of the conversation and the evening.  JJ had a moment of being quite proud of herself for her bravery.  Before she could think about it much more, however, they were parking at the theatre.

Emily felt the familiar flush of excitement as she saw the huge banners above the entrance emblazoned with the distinctive green and white of the Witches of Oz.  Her inner dork just could not be contained as they approached the building.  Somewhere between leaving the parking garage and approaching the entrance JJ’s hand had found its way into the crook of Emily’s elbow as if it had been placed there a thousand times.  Emily made no effort to hide her broad smile at both their destination and their current situation.

JJ’s breath caught slightly in her chest as she caught sight of the smile on Emily’s face.  There was no denying the other woman’s profound beauty and it was simply made all the more apparent when she was caught in a moment of unguarded emotion.

“Excited?”  JJ asked simply.

“About a great many things,” Emily responded quietly almost as though she didn’t want JJ to hear.

JJ smiled softly and gripped her hand a little tighter on Emily’s elbow.  The blond was also excited, not so much about the show as she was about what was happening between the two of them tonight.  She was sure the show would be fantastic but that paled in comparison to the feeling of Emily’s warm toned arm under her hand as they made their way to the doors and entered the lobby.  The entrance area was awash with green and black souvenirs and excited fans snapping them up.

“Do you need to shop?” JJ asked knowing Emily was a big fan.

Emily couldn’t control her brief embarrassment at the question, not because she wanted to browse but because she didn’t need to.

“That’s okay,” she tried to cover her blush before she gave in and said with a soft laugh, “I am pretty certain I already own most of this stuff, any of it I want anyway.”

“Oh really,” JJ queried, “even the pink one?” As she spoke she pointed to a bright pink girly t-shirt emblazoned with the word popular.

Emily laughed out loud at the thought of wearing that particular article of clothing. “No,” she replied through her giggles, “not that one.  I’m more of an Elphaba than a Glinda.”

JJ glanced sideways at Emily but withheld comment wondering exactly what the other woman meant by that comment.  Emily could tell JJ didn’t quite get what she meant but she also knew the explanation would take almost as long as the show so she opted for a simpler answer to the unspoken question.

“It’ll make more sense once you’ve seen the show,” Emily stated simply, “then you can let me know if you agree.”  With that Emily smiled into JJ’s eyes and led the way to their seats.

JJ had expected the seats to be good ones, she couldn’t imagine Emily sitting in the nosebleed section, but the box they were seated in offered perhaps the best view of a stage JJ had ever experienced.  The curtain was down glittering green at its center with the map of Oz spreading out from the Emerald City, overlooking the crowd and looming over the stage was an enormous mechanical dragon whose wings spread the entire length of the stage.  There were small noises as the orchestra engaged in final tuning of instruments and shuffled about in the pit.  JJ settled into her seat and let herself start to drift into the universe that would soon be open before them.

Emily resisted the urge to start explaining the map on the curtain to JJ, her mind raced over the details of exotic locations like the Winkie Country and Gillikin and Munchkinland.  She knew all of the events that would unfold and which characters were from which place on the map and the difference between those characters in the book and the musical.  She also knew that once she got started there was every chance she wouldn’t stop and she’d cross that line from charmingly excited to total dork and she just couldn’t risk seeing that look of polite disinterest on JJ’s face, not when their evening was going so well.

“So,” JJ leaned over speaking softly, “are you going to tell me what I need to know about that map or are you just going to leave me to fend for myself?”

Apparently remaining silent until the show stared was not going to be an option for Emily.  She couldn’t exactly ignore JJ’s request and she knew once she got started there was little hope. It was a strange sensation for Emily, mixture of fear and excitement that was as much about JJ as any of the events about to unfold in the stage.  She felt torn between choices, between fear and hope.  To the outside observer it was such a simple thing to give JJ some background on the story they were about to watch but for Emily it was more than that, it was about opening up her inner self, revealing the other Emily Prentiss.  She knew the face she presented was one that garnered respect and seemed confident and at ease but this was her moment to open a window into the rest of her that she kept carefully, strategically hidden.

There had been moments in Emily’s life when she had known she was at a crossroads but they usually seemed larger than this, a bigger deal than whether or not to start waxing philosophic about Wicked and yet she knew this was one of those.  She could open her mouth and start talking or she could laugh it off and play the part to which she’d grown so accustomed.  As she sat pondering her options for a moment JJ’s strong small hand slipped into hers where it rested on the chair arm between them and she knew all of this thinking was foolish.

“I can tell you more than you ever wanted to know,” Emily grinned over at JJ, “what are you wondering about specifically?”

“Ok,” JJ began letting some of Emily’s happiness and excitement infuse her own mood, “so if we are talking Wizard of Oz Glinda is the Good Witch of the North so that must mean she’s from Gillikin.  The Wicked Witch of the East was obviously from Munchikinland or there wouldn’t have been such a party there after the house fell on her so does that mean Elphaba is from,” she paused a moment reading the giant map, “Winkie Country?”

“Not exactly,” Emily immediately warmed to the subject, “in the play she’s also from Munchkinland as she’s the sister of Nessarose which was mentioned in the Wizard of Oz, that they are sisters I mean, I don’t think we ever know her name.  She’s called the Wicked Witch of the West because she finds a place to safely hide in the Vinkus thanks to Fiyero but I’m not telling you any more than that because I don’t want to spoil the story.”

“Is Fiyero the love interest?”  JJ asked having flipped through the program and done the proverbial math that there must be a male love interest in order for the play to be as popular as it was.

“Technically, yes,” Emily paused, “though almost everyone to ever play the role of Fiyero has commented that he is mostly a vehicle for telling the real love story which ultimately has very little to do with him.”

JJ glanced at her with a lift of a questioning eyebrow.  Though she had a passing acquaintance with the principle characters the implications of Emily’s words went beyond anything she would have assumed about this production.  She cast inquisitive eyes at Emily silently asking her to explain her last comment.  Her gaze was met with sparking brown eyes and a sly grin but no further words were immediately forthcoming.

It would have been easy to launch into an explaination of the lesbian subtext of the show and the book but it seemed to Emily that it made more sense to just let JJ see the show for herself.  Not everyone picked up on it in the play, though the book was a different story, even the author admitted he’d portrayed Elphaba and Galinda’s relationship as a loving one.  In the end her ability to answer JJ’s questioning look was taken away as the house lights dimmed and the orchestra played.  Emily’s smile widened as her gaze turned to the stage, she loved this music the way it grabbed her by the lapels and forced her to listen from the opening notes to the closing number.

Throughout the first act Emily kept stealing glances at her companion enjoying the play of emotions across the blond’s face as the women on stage went from enemies to friends.  They both applauded the introduction of young Elphaba so full of conviction and hope and Galinda, before she dropped the ‘a’, all full of self-importance and ego.  JJ’s hand found its way back into Emily’s as the show progressed squeazing more tightly as the tension on stage ebbed and flowed leading to the culmination of Elphaba’s dissillusionment and Glinda’s choice to stay behind.

The audience burst into raucous applause as the lights came up and the curtain closed on the first act.  JJ glanced at Emily enjoying the flush of excitement in her pale cheeks that hadn’t faded since the music started.  She was surprised to feel her own pulse rushing with the climactic close to the first act.  She hadn’t expected to be as emotionally engaged by the story as she was but she had found herself completely absorbed.

“Would you like to stretch your legs?”  Emily’s voice broke through JJ’s thoughts.  For a moment JJ was torn, there seemed something appealing about staying seated and not allowing too much of the world to intrude upon the world they had just occupied for the last hour and a half.  On the other hand there was something equally pleasant about the idea of stepping out into the lobby for a glass of wine with Emily.  One more look into those deep brown eyes and her mind made itself up with little more debate.

“Sure,” JJ answered smiling, “would you like to get a drink?”

“Certainly,” Emily stood as she spoke extending a hand to JJ to help her up from her seat.  The two of them made their way through the crowds to one of the numerous concession areas and Emily ordered two glasses of red.  She handed one of them to JJ and motioned to a space off to the side where they could stand and talk that was out of the way of the bulk of the human traffic moving about.

“So,” Emily spoke not bothering to control the excitement in her voice, “are you enjoying the show?”

“Quite a bit actually,” JJ commented before taking a sip of her wine, “I don’t usually enjoy musicals this much, but there is something about these characters that just draws you in.  Thanks again for bringing me.”

“My pleasure,” Emily responded efusing the words with the truth of her statement, “tell me what you think so far.”  The dark haired agent was fully aware she could go on for hours about her thoughts on the show but that seemed like a waste of time when she could, instead, find out what JJ was thinking.

“I really enjoy Elphaba’s character,” JJ started without hesitation, “I hadn’t expected her to be so hopeful and strong in the face of everything she’s been through.  Glinda makes me laugh.  I have to admit whenever I watched the Wizard of Oz as a kid I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was wrong with her.  Now I guess I know.”  She smiled as she finished her statement revealing the tongue in cheek nature of her words.

Emily let out a soft laugh in response.  She couldn’t agree more and found it tremendously endearing that JJ shared her view on the good witch, in the Oz version anyway.  It was really good to see JJ enjoying herself.  Emily had been so afraid of geeking out that she’d assumed JJ wouldn’t enjoy the show as much and was going more to be nice than anything.  It was reassuring to see such a bright smile and interest in her eyes.

“I’m thrilled you are enjoying yourself,” Emily followed her thougths with words hoping to convey her thanks to JJ for joining her.  “I hope the themes about wickedness and its origins aren’t too much like shop talk for you.”

“No,” JJ chuckled, “not at all.  In fact that’s one of the aspects I’m finding really interesting.  I’m excited to see how it all turns out in the second act.”  JJ paused taking another sip of wine and pondering what to say next.  This was a clear opportunity to get another window into the complex mystery that was Emily Prentiss.  Hanging out with profilers every day had shown JJ how much you could learn about a person from seemingly obscure facts and as much as they all agreed not to profile one another there was no denying the value of the lessons she’d learned.

“So,” JJ leaned against the wall as she spoke looking directly into Emily’s dark eyes, “why do you think Glinda refuses to get on the broom and go with Elphie?”  Something flashed in Emily’s eyes at JJ’s question it struck at the heart not just of the relationship of the characters but also of their own relationship, or lack thereof up to now.  JJ thought she knew what Emily’s answer would be and knew what her own answer was but knew it would speak volumes to hear the words from Emily’s mouth.

“Fear,” was Emily’s one word answer.  It seemed like a simple response but ultimately it was more complicated than that individual word and they both knew it.

“Of?” JJ asked simply, sipping a bit more of her wine.

“What do you think?”  Emily asked back wanting as much insight into JJ as it seemed the blond wanted into her.  Their voices had changed from idle conversation to a more intimate tone both fully aware they were talking about more than just the show.

“Society,” JJ began to answer, “fear of rejection, fear of losing her comfortable position, fear of the unknown.  She’s the type who has always been loved and cared for, the prospect of making a choice that would make her a social pariah couldn’t be an easy one.”

“I think it was a different fear,” Emily said before finishing her small glass of wine.  As she did so she took a small step closer to JJ bringing them within each other’s personal space, not quite completely but enough to heat the air between them a bit.

“Oh really,” JJ responded questioningly, “what kind, then, do you think?”  She took an answering step closer to Emily meeting her eyes trying to read the depths of them, as she did so she reached out taking Emily’s free hand in hers gently stroking knuckles with her thumb.

“She was afraid,” Emily answered slowly, “of herself.”  Emily didn’t care anymore if she was talking about the show or herself, she knew she was probably talking about both, but JJ’s proximity and the heat between them seemed to overwhelm her desire to remain guarded.

The space between them had closed to just a few inches and the crowds milling around them had faded into so much background noise.  The world seemed only to consist of the two of them energies that had been held in check for so long seemed to be loosening their bonds drawing them toward one another.  As the gap between them nearly closed the lights dimmed and relit alerting everyone in the lobby that the show as about to resume.

JJ sighed almost audibly as their motion ceased with the change in lighting.  Somehow the warning of the end of intermission had broken the spell causing the moment to evaporate.  Even as it happened though JJ wasn’t at all ready to let what was happening between them end before it had even begun, she knew in her heart that she was tired of being afraid and letting that fear dictate her decisions.  Before they could pull apart JJ lifted Emily’s hand to her lips and placed a fleeting kiss to the back of her knuckles.

“I hope,” JJ spoke softly, “you aren’t too afraid.”  With that she stepped back not allowing time for Emily to respond and led them back to their seats.  Her heart was pounding in her chest not just from Emily’s proximity but from her own actions.  JJ had spent such a long time being afraid of what would happen if she embraced her feelings and acted on them having a moment where fear had been wiped away by emotion and exhilaration was amazingly wonderful.

Emily wasn’t entirely certain what happened but she was pretty sure she liked it.  The skin on the back of her knuckles still tingled where JJ’s lips had brushed it. She was also aware that a smile had found its way to her lips and wasn’t going anywhere.  JJ’s hand was still in hers as they sat down and she laced their fingers together settling in comfortably as though they had been doing this for years.  Just before the lights went down Emily caught JJ’s sparkling blue eyes and held them until the theatre went dark and their attention was drawn to the stage.

The show wove its way through the emotional upheaval of the second act, death, love, bravery, fear, intrigue, culminating in the tear filled goodbye between the two leads.  Emily knew going in that she wouldn’t make it through the show dry eyed, she was prepared for her own tears as Elphaba and Glinda say goodbye and Glinda witnesses Elphaba’s ‘death’ and tries to bring some sort of peace to the land.  What she hadn’t been certain of was how JJ would respond. 

JJ would have been embarrassed if she hadn’t been focused on the show and seemingly oblivious to the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.  The emotions in the songs were so pure she couldn’t help but respond in kind.  She could feel their heartbreak, could see Glinda’s world crumble when she lost Elphaba.  She applauded her strength to carry on and eliminate the forces of real evil.  She could see Elphaba’s conflict as she left knowing she wouldn’t be safe but hating leaving Glinda behind.  There were so many emotions she couldn’t and had no desire to hold back.  Instead she gripped Emily’s hand more tightly and let the tears fall.

Emily’s attention was completely captured by the open emotion on JJ’s face.  She had learned at her mother’s knee to conceal her emotions and even the few tears she allowed had been difficult for her.  How she felt was so unlike the naked emotion JJ was showing Emily was in awe of the vulnerability she saw in those blue eyes.  Emily was quite certain she had never seen anything as beautiful as JJ in that moment.

As the curtain closed the audience burst into thunderous applause getting to their feet as the two lead players stepped forward to take their bows.  The energy from the crowd still lingered in the air as the clapping faded and people began making their way up the aisles.  Both JJ and Emily seemed oblivious to the thinning crowd as they turned toward one another.  Without hesitation Emily reached up and brushed a lingering tear from JJ’s cheek.  She allowed her fingers to stay there memorizing the line and curve of the other woman’s face.

It would have been a very quick decision had Emily actually made a decision but her action was more instinct than conscious thought.  She took one small step forward, all it took to close the distance between them, and leaned forward her lips a breath away from JJ’s.  She paused there speaking from a place she rarely allowed out into the light of day, her heart.

“No, Jennifer,” she breathed, “I’m not too afraid.  Not anymore.” With that she closed the last tiny bit of space between them.  Their lips met softly melding together their bodies pressing lightly. 

Once again their surroundings blurred into the background Emily losing conscious awareness of the crowd filing out, of the glances cast their way both appreciative and disdainful.  She, for perhaps the first time since she was very small, ceased to care what anyone passing by thought of her.  The only thing that mattered was JJ’s lips on hers and the feel of firm hips under her hands.  She wanted only to exist in this endless moment.

JJ marveled at the sweetness of Emily’s lips and the softness of her kiss.  She had expected this to happen later, perhaps on her doorstep when Emily dropped her off, not in the aisle amid the exiting crowds from the Kennedy Center.  She couldn’t bring herself to care much though as Emily’s lips shifted against hers and the kiss deepened.  It was all JJ could do to keep her knees from folding under her, if she collapsed under Emily’s kisses she didn’t want it to be here.  That would come later.

They parted slowly Emily’s hand returning to stroke JJ’s cheek where it was now flushed pink.  Neither of them spoke, words seemed like something unnecessary and intrusive.  They had started the evening with small talk and mellow conversation they had both enjoyed.  Now it seemed anything that could be said would simply get in the way with what they both already knew; that they had found each other, for good.


End file.
